Neltje De Graff Doubleday

Background

Neltje de Graff Doubleday was born on October 23, 1865 in Chicago, Illinois, United States. She was the daughter of Liverius and Alice (Fair) De Graff.

Education

Neltje was educated at St. John’s School, New York City, and at the Misses Masters’ School at Dobbs Ferry, New York.

Career

Neltje's husband was an editor of the Book Buyer and was subsequently manager of Scribner's Magazine and a member of the Doubleday Publishing Company, so she came into a literary atmosphere, with means of expression ready for her use. But it was not until her youngest child was two years old that she published her first book, The Piegan Indians (1894).

It is quite evident from any of all of her work that she became a naturalist because she loved flowers and birds rather than because she loved science.

While her writings are always accurate, their charm and the explanation of their popularity lie in the intimate and often homely manner in which she describes the habits and habitats of her subjects. Her volumes—many of them profusely illustrated in colors, and all with topics carefully arranged and classified—are adapted both to interest and to instruct. She also wrote many articles for magazines, especially Country Life. Her interests were broad, and her magazine work covered such varied topics as agriculture, antique furniture, and the education of the American Indian, as well as the writing of numerous book reviews. All of her writing was produced under the pen name of Neltje Blanchan.

Achievements

• Neltje's work is known for its synthesis of scientific interest with poetic phrasing.

Works

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  • Birds That Hunt and Are Hunted: Life Histories of One Hundred and Seventy Birds of Prey, Game Birds and Waterfowls (Classic Reprint)

    (Excerpt from Birds That Hunt and Are Hunted: Life Histori...)

  • Nature's Garden; An Aid To Knowledge Of Our Wild Flowers And Their Insect Visitors

    (Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating bac...)

  • Birds Every Child Should Know
  • Wild Flowers Worth Knowing
  • Birds Worth Knowing (Little Nature Library)

Membership

Neltje was a leading member of the Red Cross Society of Nassau, and in 1917 was selected by the American Red Cross for a special mission in China.

Personality

Prominent socially, Neltje yet reserved much of her time and energy for work in charitable organizations. Her vivid personality, quick sympathy, and active temperament admirably fitted her for such work. With these qualifications she had the ability to win easily the confidence of those with whom she came in contact.

Connections

On June 9, 1886, Neltje married Frank Nelson Doubleday at Plainfield, New Jearsey, by whom she had two sons and a daughter.

Father:

Liverius De Graff

Mother:

Alice (Fair) De Graff

husband:

Frank Nelson Doubleday